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  • sunbeam grinder

    Hi SBB here
    >well what can i tell you i have a sunbeam grinder :
    and it has been working well for some time. But i gave it a clean out
    last week for a change of beans and now the grind is awful >.
    gave sunbeam a ring told me it was not 100% clean that is why ????????
    it is the em0480 i have gone from a #14 grind to a #5 and it still
    is not working as well help meeeeeeee :

  • #2
    Re: sunbeam grinder

    Hey,
    That has happened with me too... Just take it back to where you purchased it if its still underwarranty and exchange it for a new one.
    If its not under warranty you could do a string mod that you take the top burr out of the plastic carrier and place a piece of string on the inside of the carrier and put back the burr.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: sunbeam grinder

      There is a right way and several wrong way to put the em0480 back together. Some of the wrong ways are obvious because it wont go back together completely. But there is 1 wrong way that looks right but changes the grind down by 10-15 stops. I have yet to find out what is actually happening but if it happens to me I re-disassemble it and re-reassemble it and it is fixed.

      When I get a bit of time, I will find a definitive answer as to the right way to make it wrong and then make it right again and post it here.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: sunbeam grinder

        From memory,

        The wrong way is to reinsert the upper burr carrier into the adjustment collar, when the collar is not fully anticlockwise.

        The right way is to re insert the upper burr [and align its arrows], when [and only when] the adjustment collar is rotated fully anticlockwise.

        I also noticed that depending on which arrow you aligned to [there are two 180 deg apart] you would get either a 14-16 espresso zone or a 5-7 espresso zone.

        That said, eventually after regular and successful cleaning operations, I ended up with the same problem [#5 setting] and determined that it was caused by the slipping burr problem [as alluded to by Coffee Kid]

        [see other sunbeam grinder threads]

        Its a bad design, I believe it will eventually happen to all EM0480s [even your replacement]

        Take it back, make sure you get, 12 months warranty on the replacement, or demand your money back [or a Myer/DJ voucher to give your SO] and buy a better grinder.

        You will not believe the improvement in consistancy you get with a better grinder

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: sunbeam grinder

          Originally posted by reubster link=1181435470/0#3 date=1181608300
          You will not believe the improvement in consistancy you get with a better grinder
          Have you gone to an infinitely adjustable grinder? That is the only way to get improvement in consistency over the Sunbeam EM480C/EM450 grinders and only if your dosing is exactly the same for every shot that you pull.

          The Sunbeam EM480C/EM450 and Lux and Iberital/Innova grinder all use the same burr set and grind quality is as good as a flat burr Mazzer or Rancilio Rocky/MDF or Nuova Simonelli MCF. I havent played with other grinders so I wont comment on them.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: sunbeam grinder

            kaanage,

            Im intrigued why you are such a strong advocate for Sunbeam.... You dont work for them, sell them etc do you???

            There is more to the grinder than the burr set..... and yes most domestic conicals do have the same burr set.

            But it comes down to build quality...... which determines the life of the grinder, the ease with which you can get repeatable results and ease of adjustment.

            Yes, the Sunbeam grinders are cheap (but not only in price! :) After a short time there is lateral play in the shaft holding the centre burr.... resulting in the centre burr wobbling about - uneven grind results. The fixed burr beds itself into the cheap plastic carrier - resulting in the need to grind finer and finer until it runs out of adjustment and then its either back to Sunbeam for a replacement (and they are good at warranty service) or a string, cardboard or plastic washer is fitted by the owner to overcome the problem.

            Yes, many commercial grinders and the Rocky are also stepped.... but the Sunbeams steps are much larger..... however they are small in comparison to the Solis 166 AKA DeLonghi KG100. You can live with the step size as you say.... but many here soon discovered that to be a real pain and have upgraded. It doesnt take long for most peoples technique to become that good.

            A brand new (straight out of the box) Sunbeam might grind almost as good as the flat burr grinders you mentioned..... (and IMHO that is quite a call) but that equivalence wont last for long..... there is a simple saying "You pay your money - and you get what you pay for". In this case you are paying quite a bit less.... and so is the quality of what you are buying.

            If on a budget and you want a cheap grinder which is adequate and wont last long - it is a good option (and dont expect much resale value). But if you want something to go the distance.... be prepared to pay more (and you will also get more - reliability)

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: sunbeam grinder

              A Sunbeam fanboy . I never thought Id get accused of that after the pasting I used to give their single thermoblack machines

              OK, I havent heard of the issue with the center burr play before - Im surprised that Alan Frew would sell them given this - and I havent played with one long enough to experience it, myself. It must an issue with the reduction gear mount being innapropriately engineered (like the EM6900 group mounts) as my Lux has no issues at all after a few years of use and it is basically the same design. So it looks like I get to be a Sunbeam slagger again!! ;D

              I stand by my comment on the step size, though. You can compensate easily with dose to prevent it being an issue.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: sunbeam grinder

                JavaB, while the sliding burr carrier has been an issue with some, I havent had this issue... and I suspect it happens when adjusting to a finer grind while the beans are still in the burr itself... If I have to go quite drastically a few steps finer, I run the grinder at the same time. Its common sense really...and the Lateral play? not an issue with mine either..

                Curious, have you used the grinder in question or are you going on others experience?

                Everything has a price point and lets me honest, Sunbeam have been the only major company with the guts to come out with a decent grinder with an achievable price point.

                Yes, I do agree the steps are too large.

                My 2 cents...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: sunbeam grinder

                  Yep,

                  I think it is more an engineering / QA issue rather than an actual design fault.... Sunbeam need to raise their game in the grinder stakes.... the grinders were a "match" for the 6900..... and they certainly match it for long term performance....

                  But just like the 6910 - they can / should get the bugs out.... and a re-engineered grinder could be quite attractive (but the existing ones have a few too many issues).

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: sunbeam grinder

                    Originally posted by marcstolk link=1181435470/0#7 date=1181616592

                    Curious, have you used the grinder in question or are you going on others experience?
                    marcstolk,

                    Yes, Ive used one (but not long enough to experience any of the problems- as it was at a friends house and was also quite new).

                    It worked very well, wasnt too noisy but was a PITA to adjust the grind size....

                    Comments re reliability are based on the multitude of people here with problems..... and I cant see why Sunbeam cant address these issues (just as they did with the 6900).


                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: sunbeam grinder

                      Kaanage

                      "You will not believe the improvement in consistancy you get with a better grinder"

                      To clarify, yes I have gone to a stepless grinder, and yes I believe any stepless grinder or any grinder with finer steps than a Sunbeam [ie rocky] will yield a consistancy improvement.

                      What I found with the Sunbeam was:

                      Adjustment between two consectutive Sunbeam steps will change the pour by about 9 seconds.

                      If the particular grind setting happed to be in the espresso "sweet-spot" then any unconscious variations in my dosing & distribution & tamping technique caused a relatively minor variation in the shot [say +/-3 sec]
                      So the consistancy was OK, most shots would be good.

                      If a particular grinder setting was a little outside the ideal espresso zone, then variations in my technique would either produce an undrinkable shot or a good shot.

                      Often, it took a couple of shots to work out the nearest setting and then Id have to "fudge" my technique to adjust for the large step variation.

                      In the course of a week, I used to find only two [or at best three] days where the grinder was in the sweetspot.

                      I guess what Im saying here is that if the grind is just right then minor variations in your technique have much less effect on the shot..... therefore:
                      smaller steps or stepless=greater consistancy


                      I also found changing to a dosing grinder was a big help.
                      I had developed a pretty good technique with the Sunbeam [which included WDT] but once Id worked out the right volumetric dose for the Compak, It just worked every time.

                      Running both grinders side by side for a couple of weeks, I also thought that the look and feel of grind was better in the Compak.
                      I suspect that heavy duty well machined brass burr carriers produce a more even grind. Unlike the sunbeam, there is no play or movement between the burrs.


                      To be honest, It feels like Im cheating now, I used to have to work really hard with the Sunbeam, now I just fill, grind and tamp, and its always right.
                      So I have concluded my technique was probably better than I thought and that the sunbeam grinder was holding me back.

                      In conclusion though, when all is right, the Sunbeam is capable of producing a very good shot.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: sunbeam grinder

                        Fair enough, reubster. In that context, I see your point but you have gone to a far more expensive grinder to get this greater ease of use.

                        Originally posted by marcstolk link=1181435470/0#7 date=1181616592
                        JavaB, while the sliding burr carrier has been an issue with some, I havent had this issue... and I suspect it happens when adjusting to a finer grind while the beans are still in the burr itself... If I have to go quite drastically a few steps finer, I run the grinder at the same time. Its common sense really...and the Lateral play? not an issue with mine either..
                        So are we talking about misuse causing the problems with the Sunbeam grinders? I seem to remember discussion about the manual stating that adjustments should only be made with the grinder running and people asking why. Well this seem to be the answer!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: sunbeam grinder

                          Sunbeam are... but the grinder hasnt had the issues like the Em6900 had...

                          I use my grinder ALL the time, everyday... 2-3 sessions a day at a bare minimum! I am amazed at the reported issues as I seem to have escaped it ;-)

                          As Kaanage said, you can adjust your dosing a bit to compensation the step issue, but I do prefer to maintain a consistent Dosing regime.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: sunbeam grinder

                            Kaanage,

                            Ill have a look at my Manual tonight and see what it says about the adjustments...but it does makes sense... otherwise you are just applying unnessesary pressure...

                            reubster, you not comparing Apples with Apples ... $199 grinder to a $550-$600 grinder... If I had the dollars, Id own a Compak ...

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: sunbeam grinder

                              Originally posted by marcstolk link=1181435470/0#13 date=1181620033
                              reubster, you not comparing Apples with Apples ... $199 grinder to a $550-$600 grinder... If I had the dollars, Id own a Compak ...
                              This was invited by Kaanage:
                              The Sunbeam EM480C/EM450 and Lux and Iberital/Innova grinder all use the same burr set and grind quality is as good as a flat burr Mazzer or Rancilio Rocky/MDF or Nuova Simonelli MCF. I havent played with other grinders so I wont comment on them.
                              I also would put my grinders (Mazzers) up against the Sunbroke one any day of the week. Theyre now almost 20 years old with the first 17 years of their life spent in a commercial environment. Other than the occassional burr replacement due to wear nothing else has ever been done to it and its still pumping out the same consistantly perfect grounds it did when new. Lets see the Sunbrokes equal that.


                              Java "Will stick with his Mazzers!" phile
                              Toys! I must have new toys!!!

                              Comment

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